Someone Willing to Stay

Again

      Robert and David are determined. They drag me over to Mel's table during lunch again, confident that they'll end up with girlfriends by the end of the week.
     I just want to give her space.
     When we get there, the boys sit on either side of Claire and Riley and I sit next to Mel, smirking like usual. It's my facade.
All I want to do is make sure she's okay. But I smirk instead and slam my lunch try on the table.
"Hey Mel, Mel's friends."
She's tense beside me. Her lips are moving but she's not saying anything.
"Ignore her, she's totally stressed because she has a big test in chem today she didn't study for." Claire sighs, not looking up from her phone.
"You're gonna ace it, Ni-Ni. You're pretty smart, for a girl." David says, causing three pairs of eyes to immediately go to him.
"What?" He asks.
"For a girl?" Mel asks, her eyebrows narrowed.
"I just meant-"
"Stop talking you sexist jerk faced idiot." Riley snaps.
David frowns, pushing out his bottom lip to pout.
      "We just came over to invite you to David's party on Friday," Robert speaks out through a grin, "no parents, no occasion, just booze and a hot tub."
"I'm all in. I'll definitely need to unwind by the end of this week." Riley confirms.
Claire shrugs, "Cool with me."
We all look over at Mel expectantly.
She smiles nervously and lets out a giggle, "After what happened at the last party I went to, I'll have to pass."
My face pales when everyone looks at her with confused expressions. She bristles uncomfortably. I hold my breath.
"What happened?" Riley asks.
Mel raises her eyebrows, "When I got drunk and fell down the stairs?"
Claire shakes her head instantly, "If that happened, I would've heard about it. I have connections," She holds out her phone, "there would have been a video or something."
Mel looks over at me.
She's hurt and confused, and angry. I never want to be the one who makes her look like that.
Even with this expression she's still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I have to hold my hand back from pushing back the strands of hair that have fallen over her face, covering those honey brown eyes.
      I have to resist swooping in and kissing the dainty-
     You don't care.
      I don't care.
     "Can I talk to you?" I ask her quietly.
     She nods after a second and gets up, I follow behind her, watching the way her oversized sweatshirt moves with every step.
     "Don't make out too hard!" Robert yells.
      When we get into the empty hallway, she turns toward me.
     "You told me I fell." She says.
     I can't even think about the party. I clench my fists, aching to best Logan's face in one more time.
     Seeing her so scared and helpless. I can never see that again.
     "You did!"
     "Tell me the truth!" She exclaims.
     She looks down and at my hands and takes a step back, shrinking down slightly.
     I look down and see my hands in fists.
      "Are you scared of me?" There's panic in my voice. I'm the one person she never needs to be afraid of.
     "No! No, it's not you, it's- never mind, tell me what happened at the party."
     "I can't do that."
     She narrows her eyebrows, "I have a right to know!"
     "I can't tell you."
     "What happened, Mason?" She's begging me now and my heart breaks along with her voice.
"If I told you, it would break you."
"I'm already fucking broken Mason," she yells at me, "I'm terrified of everything and everyone! All I wanted to do was go to a stupid party and have fun with my friends, and I can't even do that right. So just tell me, tell me what else I screwed up in my pathetic life."
This isn't like her. I know she's terrified. Her body is shaking and she's looking at me like I'll pounce at any moment. Ever since I got back, she's barely talked to me. Now she's telling me everything. And I want to hear it. I want to listen to her. I could listen to her all day.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She blurts out.
     "What? Calm down, it's okay." What is she apologizing for.
      "Please don't- please I'm sorry." Her breathing is speeding up, she's backing away from me in staggered steps. She's begging me. She's scared of me.
     "I didn't mean to yell- I didn't- I'm sorry."
     Before I know what I'm doing, my arms are wrapped around her. She's shaking and crying and I can practically feel her heart beating out of her chest.
     Nine years. That's all took to break her.
     I'm holding her so tight I don't ever wanna let go. Not again. I just want her to stop crying. I'm not good at these types of situations.
     Not when I my girlfriend's cat died and she couldn't stop crying for a week. All I did was buy her a cat magnet, which didn't help judging by the fact that she broke up with me.
     Not when my aunt wouldn't stop crying when my dad was about to go into surgery. I got on the first plane out of there.
     "It's okay, Mel, it's okay."
     She won't calm down.
     She's clutching my T-shirt, mumbling apologies over and over.
      What do I do?
     Two words: Taylor, Swift.
     I look around, making sure the hallway clear. Once all I see are the poster covered walls, I take a deep breath and bend down to her ear.
     "I'm so glad you made time to see me," I start to sing lowly, "how's life, tell me how's your family? I haven't seen them in a while."
     It's a thing. Ever since we were toddlers, Mel's mom would sit us in the kitchen and blast her Taylor Swift cd up high until we knew every song by heart.
      Every time Mel got hurt, I dragged her into the house, turned on the CD player, and we danced our troubles away. It's not something I would ever tell another living soul.
     But for Mel, I would do anything.
     "You've been good, busier then ever. We small talk, work and the weather. Your guard is up and I know why."
     Her breathing is slowing but she's still holding onto me like I'm going to slip away at any moment.
     I continue, "Because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind. You gave me roses and I left them there to die."
     I wonder if the words are true for her. Does she really resent me for leaving as much as she plays out? We were kids.
     Suddenly I hear her voice, it's small and high pitches as she sings, "So this is me swallowing my pride standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night. And I go back to December all the time."
     I smile and reach my hand up to stroke her hair as she becomes less tense, "It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you, wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine."
     I take a deep breath and we're quietly standing in the hallway together, singing together, holding onto eachother like we'll never let go, "I'd go back to December, turn around and make it all right. I go back to December all the time."
     We're both silent for a few moments. She looks at me with those doe brown eyes. God, I missed her.
      "I-"
     The lunch bell rings suddenly. Mel pulls herself away from me.
     "I should get to class." She whispers.
      And she walks away from me. Again. She seems to be doing that a lot lately.

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Wow guys! We've almost hit 150 reads!!! Thank you for taking this journey with me, I hope this chapter isn't too cliche for you ;)